Position measuring method and mobile communication terminal

• US 20070109186A1
• Filed: 01/08/2007
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vodafone KK (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawakami, Seiichi, Wada, Atsushi, Kawakami, Kazuya, Miyata, Satoshi, Fujiwara, Masanori, Sakamoto, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 7,432,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.310
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network

Abstract

When a user of a mobile communication terminal makes a request for a position-measuring of a current location, at step S101, a position-measuring method determining section checks a position-measuring method specified. When the method specified is a “cell ID position-measuring”, and it is performed, when the method specified is a “base station radio waves position-measuring”; a base station radio waves position-measuring is performed, when the method specified is a “GPS position-measuring” or a “not specified”, at step S102, a judgment of whether an area in which the mobile communication terminal exist is an area suitable for data communication is made. When the judgment is negative, an autonomous GPS position-measuring is performed. When the judgment is affirmative, an assisted GPS position-measuring is performed. In this case, when the assisted GPS position-measuring has failed, in process to deal with failure of assisted GPS position-measuring at step S108, in a case of predetermined conditions, further the autonomous GPS position-measuring or a supplementary cell ID position-measuring is performed.

Claims

1. A method for position measuring which measures a current location at which a mobile communication terminal exists, comprising steps of:

determining GPS position measuring at which one of an assisted GPS position measuring which is a position measuring in which assistance information which includes information for capturing a GPS satellite is used, and in which, the assistance information, when necessary, is acquired from a location information server which holds the assistance information, and an autonomous GPS position measuring which is a position measuring in which a GPS satellite which does not use the assistance information is used, is determined to be performed;

assisted GPS position measuring at which, when the assisted GPS position measuring is determined to be performed at the step of determining GPS position measuring, the assisted GPS position measuring is performed; and

autonomous GPS position measuring at which, when the autonomous GPS position measuring is determined to be performed at the step of determining GPS position measuring, the autonomous GPS position measuring is performed.

2. The method for position measuring according to claim 1, wherein

at the step of determining GPS position measuring, when an environment is such that a data communication is not possible in the environment, the autonomous GPS position measuring is determined to be performed.

3. The method for position measuring according to claim 1, further comprising a step of:

supplementary autonomous GPS position measuring at which, when the assisted GPS position measuring has failed at the step of assisted GPS position measuring, and when a reason for the failure is a predetermined reason, the autonomous GPS position measuring is performed.

4. The method for position measuring according to claim 3, wherein

the predetermined reason includes a reason caused by the location information server.

5. The method for position measuring according to claim 1, further comprising steps of:

determining a specified position measuring method at which, when a request for position measuring is received, and when a position measuring method specified is a cell ID position measuring in which location information of a cell in a range of which the mobile communication terminal exists is acquired, the cell ID position measuring is determined to be performed, and moreover, in any one of two cases namely a case in which the position measuring method specified is a GPS position measuring which includes the assisted GPS position measuring and the autonomous GPS position measuring, and a case in which the position measuring method is not specified, the GPS position measuring is determined to be performed; and

cell ID position measuring at which, when the cell ID position measuring is determined at the step of determining the specified position measuring method, the cell ID position measuring is performed, wherein

when the GPS position measuring is determined to be performed at the step of determining the specified position measuring method, the step of determining GPS position measuring is executed.

6. The method for position measuring according to claim 5, wherein

at the step of determining the specified position measuring method, when the position measuring method specified is a base station radio waves position measuring at which a location is measured by detecting radio waves from a plurality of base stations, the base station radio waves position measuring is determined to be performed.

7. The method for position measuring according to claim 1, further comprising a step of:

supplementary cell ID position measuring at which, in a case in which the assisted GPS position measuring at the step of assisted GPS position measuring has failed, when at the step of assisted GPS position measuring, the location information of the cell in the range of which the mobile communication terminal exists, is acquired, a supplementary cell ID position measuring in which the location information is used, is performed.

8. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a position measuring method determining means which determines a position measuring method which includes determining to perform one of an assisted GPS position measuring which is a position measuring in which assistance information which includes information for capturing a GPS satellite is used, and in which, the assistance information when necessary, is acquired from a location information server which holds the assistance information, and an autonomous GPS position measuring which is a position measuring in which a GPS satellite which does not use the assistance information is used;

an assisted GPS position measuring means which performs the assisted GPS position measuring; and

an autonomous GPS position measuring means which performs the autonomous GPS position measuring.

9. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 8, wherein

the position measuring method determining means, when has received a request for position measuring, determines to perform the GPS position measuring method as a position measuring method, in one of cases namely a case in which a GPS position measuring which includes the assisted GPS position measuring and the autonomous GPS position measuring is specified, and a case in which the position measuring method is not specified.

10. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 8, wherein

the position measuring method determining means which, when the assisted GPS position measuring by the assisted GPS position measuring means is failed, and when a reason for the failure is a predetermined reason, determines to perform the autonomous GPS position measuring.

11. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 8, further comprising:

a cell ID position measuring means which performs a cell ID position measuring which is a position measuring in which location information of a cell in a range of which the mobile communication terminal exists is acquired, wherein

when a request for position measuring is received, the position measuring method determining means further determines to perform the cell ID position measuring when the cell ID position measuring is specified as the position measuring method.

12. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 8, further comprising:

a supplementary cell ID position measuring means which performs a supplementary cell ID position measuring which is a position measuring in which location information of a cell in a range of which the mobile communication terminal exists, acquired by the assisted GPS position measuring means is used, wherein

the position measuring method determining means which, in a case in which the assisted GPS position measuring by the assisted GPS position measuring means has failed, when the location information is acquired, further performs the supplementary cell ID position measuring.

13. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 8, further comprising:

a base station radio waves position measuring means which performs a base station radio waves position measuring in which a location is measured by detecting radio waves from a plurality of base stations, wherein

when a request for position measuring is received, the position measuring method determining means, when the position measuring method specified is the base station radio waves position measuring, determines to perform the base station radio waves position measuring.